Alcoa opens aluminum wheel facility in China

Alcoa Wheel and Transportation has opened a new state-of-the-art aluminum wheel facility in Suzhou, China. The new facility is part of a full wheel manufacturing, distribution, sales and service network in China, the company said.

This is the first wheel manufacturing facility Alcoa has opened in China, adding to the list of existing wheel facilities in North America, Europe and Japan.

“With the growth of China’s infrastructure and the success Alcoa’s wheel products have seen in the Chinese market over the past several years, it was a natural choice to further expand our global manufacturing footprint by building a facility that could manufacture our products locally,” said Tim Myers, president, Alcoa Wheel and Transportation Products.

The plant, which is currently up and running, machines and finishes forged aluminum wheels for commercial vehicles. According to Alcoa, forged wheels are made from solid metal providing an aligned grain structure with four times the strength of cast wheels.

Alcoa has been selling wheels out of Shanghai since 2004.

“We are thrilled that our new facility is located in Wuzhong, part of the Suzhou municipal district, a city currently seeing enormous growth,” Myers said. “We have received tremendous support from the Suzhou Wuzhong Economic Development Zone and local governments. Their professionalism and guidance greatly facilitated the establishment of the business and allowed Alcoa to commence operations ahead of schedule.”